Thanks for the reviews, AnnaMT, Tyler'sPrincess, and Potterhead2005. You're awesome! Cheers!

AnnaMT: Haha, not the adjective I'd use, but sure!

Tyler'sPrincess: Thank you! I decided to be a little more detailed in this story than before, and it's nice to know that it's working!

Potterhead2005: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too!

Hello everyone, here is chapter one. Readers, please review. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

Chapter Three

"As family, we should accept each other for who we are."

"Lily, sweetheart – that was Severus at the door," said Mrs Evans as she entered Lily's room. Lily paused and looked up from her half-filled Hogwarts trunk, her eyebrows raised. "And?" she asked, a little aggressively, "What did you say, Mum?"

"I said you were out – at the supermarket, this time," said Mrs Evans, rolling her eyes. "Look – I'm sure he knows that you're here, he's not stupid. Just – talk to him once, won't you?"

"No," said Lily shortly, leaning back on her bed and giving her mother a stony sort of look. "I've already said whatever was required – I'm not going to say anything more." She threw her neatly folded school robes into the trunk with unnecessary force, causing them to unravel; shaking her head, she withdrew them from the trunk and began to fold them again.

"Lily, darling," said Mrs Evans gently, "C'mon – give that boy a chance… I'm sure whatever happened, it wasn't that bad –"

"Wasn't that bad?" echoed Lily incredulously, facing her Mum. "Honestly, Mum – it was horrible. I don't care that he's sorry, I don't care if he begs or grovels – but I don't want anything more to do with him. And if he's bothering you, just tell him that he isn't welcome here."

"But what happened that was so bad?" Mrs Evans asked, with mingled curiosity and confusion.

"Trust me – you don't want to know," Lily replied, shaking her head again. How could she tell her Mum that Severus had called her – that vile word? Her mother would undoubtedly feel terrible… No, her parents were better off not knowing. "Look – just drop it, Mum… Please," she added, looking right into her Mum's pale-blue eyes. Mrs Evans sighed and gave her a little nod.

"So – all set for tomorrow?" she asked in a would-be casual voice. Lily nodded and pointed to her little rucksack that lay next to the door. "Yep," she said, "I'm taking that with me – and don't worry, I'll be back on the thirtieth. I just want most of my packing done so that I can spend the thirty-first with you and Daddy – and not have the bother of looking for all my stuff."

"All right," said Mrs Evans. "And you're travelling by fire tomorrow? Or what d'you lot call it – Floo, isn't it?"

"That's right, Mum," said Lily, grinning. "Mrs Huntington's friend from the Ministry is having our fireplace connected to theirs for tomorrow, so that I can travel to Huntington Cottage without much difficulty."

"Hmm – your ways of travelling are certainly quicker," said Mrs Evans, a little admiringly. Lily's grin widened. "It's magic, Mum," she said, and Mrs Evans rolled her eyes again. "Come downstairs for an after-dinner snack when you're done," she said, and Lily nodded. "I'm baking a new batch of macaroons." She gave Lily another grin and exited the bedroom.

Lily threw the last of her belongings into the trunk, before settling back onto the bed and giving a little sigh of satisfaction while looking outside the window. It was a beautiful evening in late August, with September the First only ten days away. Lily had spent her holidays completing her schoolwork, playing tennis, and reading the book Mrs Potter had graciously lent to her. She had to admit that the book was a mine of information, and she felt that it had completely changed her point of view on Healing Potions. Witches and wizards in the Middle East used water from cacti in almost all potions, but what had surprised her the most was its effectiveness in healing injuries – it was nearly as good as the essence of dittany. Lily knew that a cactus had thorns to conserve water and use it efficiently, but what was new was that the water gained healing properties once the plant was exposed to hot and dry conditions – a common occurrence in the Arabian and Sahara deserts. She quickly figured out the reason why there were differences in the main constituents of healing potions – the availability, obviously.

Lily stared outside her window, thinking… Her mind immediately went to her new friend, whose mother had lent her the potions book. She'd been in contact with James throughout the summer, even after visiting his house – she'd come to realize that he was a rather interesting fellow; he was not simply a clown who played the fool at all times, but capable of deep thought, too. She'd been saddened to learn of Sirius's rejection by his family from James… She could definitely sympathize, having lived with a sister who had treated her awfully for all these years… But to be disowned, that was something else. Lily couldn't imagine her proud and loving parents kicking her out of the house, just because she was different…

Her mind wandered to the dinner she'd attended at Potter Mansion, more than three weeks ago. Much to her surprise, she'd actually had a good time there… James's parents were every bit as nice as Liz had told her, and her brief meetings with them over the past few years had done nothing to disabuse her of that notion. But most of all, she'd been pleasantly surprised with the change in James's attitude towards her…

She'd initially been a little hesitant towards going to his house. Of course, she'd resolved to try and be friends with him at the end of last year – a major part of that resolution had been sending him the collection of her favourite Muggle comics, The Adventures of Tintin, as a gesture of her appreciation towards him saving her life that day. She'd sweated over her decision for three days before steeling herself and sending it over, hoping that he'd like it. She'd been vindicated when she'd heard him use some of Captain Haddock's insults.

But throughout the evening at his house, she'd noticed a marked change in his behaviour. Sure, she'd seen shades of his cockiness and arrogance, but he'd been remarkably charming – so charming, in fact, that she'd actually found herself laughing at his jokes, and enjoying his company. It hadn't escaped her notice that he'd stared at her for just a fraction of a second too long before engaging someone else in conversation, though. She could see it in his hazel eyes – he still liked her, she could say that with certainty. But she had to give him credit for trying – trying to be friends with her, trying to get over her. And as long as he wasn't irritating her, she was determined to give him the benefit of the doubt. She'd agreed to be friends with him – and she would see it through. Lily Evans was no quitter.

Someone knocked on the open door, and Lily turned her gaze towards it just as her sister entered her bedroom without invitation. "Sure, c'mon in," she said, her voice sarcastic, but Petunia ignored her remark. "Listen, freak – I wasn't trying to eavesdrop when Mum was here earlier," she began, and Lily snorted. I'll bet you weren't, she thought. Petunia ignored the interruption and continued, "It sounded like you're not friends with that awful Snape boy anymore – is that true?"

"Even if it were, why is it your business?" Lily asked with a touch of asperity. Petunia sat down on her bed.

"It is my business – if he comes up to me in the supermarket and asks me how you're doing," she responded baldly.

"What?" Lily exclaimed, her eyes wide. "He did – what?"

"Exactly what I said," Petunia replied, looking satisfied with the effect she'd created. "I figured that if he's asking me how you were doing, that must mean that you and he weren't talking or something –"

"Little Sherlock, aren't you?" Lily interrupted.

"Anyway, I told him that if he was so curious, he should just come around the house at nine o'clock tonight to see for himself how you were doing," Petunia continued with a little smirk.

"WHAT?" Lily exclaimed again. "Tuney – how could you? He – here – dammit – that stupid prick – and you – you – why?" She stared at her sister with mingled fury and incredulity, completely at a loss for words.

"Oh – relax, I'm only winding you up," said Petunia with a wicked grin on her face. "The part about the supermarket is completely true, though – I just told him to sod off and carried on with my shopping."

Lily's shoulders relaxed at once. "Whew," she said, "Though that did sound like something you'd do – just to spite me."

"Everything isn't about you, freak," Petunia shot at her. "Besides, I don't need him to spite you – I have that covered on my own."

"Really? Is that something to be proud of?" Lily responded irritably.

"Little bit," said Petunia, holding up her thumb and forefinger with a small gap between them. "Anyway – what happened? What did he do to you?"

Lily wrinkled her forehead. "Why do you care, anyway?" she asked curiously.

"So that I could tell you that I was right!" Petunia burst out. "I told you that boy was trouble, but no – you didn't listen, and you went off to that freak school of yours anyway! But now – now, if you're ready to apologise and give all that up, I'm ready to stop treating you like this."

Lily gave a derisive laugh. "Everything isn't about you, Tuney," she said, repeating her sister's own words. "You don't understand, do you? The Wizarding world is more than just me and Severus… There's Liz, there's Marlene, there's Professor Dumbledore, and all the fascinating people I met at Hogwarts! So, no – Severus may have done something so terrible that I never want to see his stupid face ever again – but that doesn't mean I'm going to turn my back on my world!"

"My world," repeated Petunia disdainfully. "See? You've already distanced yourself from us all – even after I offered you an olive branch."

Lily gave Petunia a sad smile, inwardly marvelling at her sister's self-important demeanour. "No, Tuney," she said, "I was the one who tried, time and again, to keep things the same between us. You kept shooting me down – throwing my presents to you against the wall – and rejecting me at every possible opportunity. You just don't understand, do you?" She faced Petunia squarely, and looked right into her pale-blue eyes, so like their Mum's.

"I didn't distance myself, Tuney – you did," she said bluntly. "You did…"

There was a pause, and Lily ploughed on, "Being a witch – is part of who I am. It is a part – an extremely important one, at that – of me, and it's something that's not going to change. You could've simply accepted me for what I am – but you didn't. You were mean and horrible to me, even after I tried so many times. In fact, the one act of kindness from you that I can recall over the past five years – was when you comforted me after I'd split up with – a boy." She paused as she felt her eyes becoming moist. She blinked her tears back and added, "I'm grateful for that, Tuney – but that was it. That was it…"

There was a third, lengthier pause. Petunia was simply staring at her; she looked shocked and unable to articulate a response. Lily continued, "I should be the one extending an olive branch. You have some nerve for thinking I should apologise to you – but I'll overlook that. Like it or not, we're still sisters – we're family. God, Tuney!" she suddenly exclaimed. "We're family! As family, we should accept each other for who we are! And while I've always done that – you could never do that with me. You just couldn't…"

She sighed, and quite against her better judgement, placed her hand over her sister's. She took it as a good sign that Petunia didn't throw it off. "I'm willing to give it a try," she said, her voice gentle. "I recently realized that I could be friends with someone even if they were annoying, conceited, and arrogant to the point of being insufferable… This would be a whole lot easier, if you don't make it so hard!" She squeezed Petunia's hand. "Please," she whispered, "Accept me for who I am. I'd like my elder sister back. Please…"

She searched Petunia's face, and found a variety of emotions on it… Fury, indignation, resentment – but in her sister's pale-blue eyes, Lily could read indecision – with a hint of sadness. Her hopes rose at once, but in a moment, the indecision vanished – only to be replaced by a cold, hard look. She withdrew her hand from Lily's sharply, as if Lily's touch had somehow scalded her.

"You're pathetic," she said disdainfully. "You keep saying I rejected you – but you rejected us all long before that, the moment you set foot onto that bloody train on that bloody platform." She shook her head and stood up.

"I'm leaving," she blurted out. "I'm going to London – there's a nice university there which has accepted me to pursue a two-year typing course… I have nimble fingers, and I can type at a speed of seventy words per minute without making a single mistake." Her voice carried a hint of pride. "That course will get me an internship at even The Times – and if I work hard enough, I can even work there full-time. If we're lucky, I'll have to see your face only during Christmas – for just one day of the year." She grimaced before raising her chin haughtily. "I'm on my way to carving out a life of my own – away from all this rubbish, away from being the second-best child… Away from – you."

Lily just sat there, shocked, as her sister gave her another contemptuous look. "By the time you get back from your freak friend's, I'll be long gone. I only wanted to see if you would apologise and we could part on at least a friendly note… But I see that my attempt was futile."

"Tuney…" Lily began, unsure of what to say, but Petunia interrupted her. "Goodbye, Lily," she said, her voice carrying a note of finality, "Have fun in your freak world." With a last disdainful glance towards her, Petunia turned her heel and marched out of Lily's bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Lily kept staring at the closed door before slumping back on her bed. She didn't know what she was feeling… Severus had approached Tuney to enquire about her. Well, he was a tenacious bugger, wasn't he? And Tuney, presumptuous, self-righteous Tuney, proclaiming that she, Lily, was the one who should be apologising to her – for being a witch, no less. The nerve, thought Lily incredulously, and began to laugh. Once she started, she couldn't stop – she guffawed uncontrollably until tears began to roll down her eyes, stopping only when she felt a stitch in her side. God, she must be going insane…

She sombrely drew in a deep breath. All the hope that had risen in her was now effectively crushed, and she felt tears of hurt and anger come to her eyes. But she wiped them away fiercely… If someone was making her apologise for being herself, if someone could make her feel so bad just for being who she was, well – she'd be better off without them, wouldn't she? Yes, I would, she thought firmly. Tuney can bugger off… I'm probably better off not talking to her again, just like Severus.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her appetite for the macaroons had vaporised… Tears came to her eyes again, she couldn't help it – and this time she let them fall. She was tired of being strong for herself, for carrying the pain of her sister's rejection. For once, she just wanted to let it all out… And so, she hugged her pillow close and cried silently to herself, until sleep overcame her at last.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow – she actually said that?" Liz asked as they walked along the beach. Lily nodded sombrely. "Yep – she wants nothing to do with me. I guess that was sort of the case – but she'd never said it out loud. That's what hurts me more, really – I never gave up hope, until now, that is."

Liz pulled her into a sympathetic sideways hug. "Don't worry – you're like my sister, Lil. I can be the sister you always wanted."

"You already are," said Lily, with a slight smile at her best friend. Liz grinned and said, "Always!"

A silence fell between them, until Liz said, "So – did Snape try talking to you again? Maybe – coming over to your house, I mean?"

"He came over about five times over the past couple of weeks," said Lily dully. "Twice he came when you were there, too."

"You kept that quiet!" Liz exclaimed, her tone accusing.

"You'd have hexed him if you'd seen him – and I don't want you to get a warning from the Ministry because of that git," Lily responded, and Liz nodded in agreement. "Fair point – but then, did you meet him at all?"

"Nah – my parents had very specific instructions. If Severus came to our house and asked for me, they were to make up any story – either I wasn't there, or that I was sleeping. I already told him that I wasn't going to be friends with him anymore – but he's having a hard time accepting it, the bloody fool," Lily replied derisively.

"I sort of feel sorry for him," Liz said softly, and Lily gave her an astonished look. "I meant – I'd feel sorry for anyone whom you sever ties with," Liz added quickly, and Lily grinned. "Aww, how sweet of you – does my friendship mean that much to you?"

But Liz's face was serious. "I'm not joking, really, Lily," she said, her sea-green eyes boring into Lily's own. "You see – I'm an only child, aren't I? I never had a – a brother or a sister, so to say. My cousins – I see them so infrequently, they don't count as having a sibling… That's why, when we became friends in first year, I sort of held on to you. You were my first friend at Hogwarts…"

"Well – you were my first friend at Hogwarts," Lily replied, "Because obviously – Severus doesn't count!"

Liz laughed. "You know how I am, Lily," she said. "I try to remain cool and calm most of the time, and I don't like to show my emotions. I tease, I mock, and I ridicule my friends – it's all in fun, and they take it quite well, thank God for that. But you…" She paused. "You are the only one who really understands me. Regardless of my stoicism, you know exactly how I'm feeling. You know that I snap at people when I'm upset, and yet – you disregard it every time, because you know me. If I want to cry, I don't care if I do it in front of you – 'coz you're the only one around whom I can be – myself."

"Wow," Lily said, as Liz came to an end with her monologue. Of course, she knew that Liz held her in as much regard as she held Liz in… But this was the first time that Liz had articulated her thoughts to her. "Well – it goes both ways, Liz," she began. "When I came to Hogwarts, and my only friend was Sorted into another House, you were the one who defended me to James and Black – I don't know if you remember it, but I do. That was enough for me – besides, when I got to know you, it was great! You – you just looked past the fact that I was Muggle-born, that I was friends with Severus, that I was, and still am, such a hothead – and you stuck with me anyway. You were never afraid to give me your opinion, regardless of whether I'd listen to you. I was a newcomer into the Wizarding world, and you – you just welcomed me with open arms." She could feel tears in her eyes, and she felt somewhat relieved as she saw that Liz's sea-green eyes were rather moist as well. "You've been my pillar of support for all these years," she added, "Please – never, ever, change that."

"Like you said, it goes both ways," said Liz thickly, and pulled Lily into an embrace. They broke apart after a few seconds, turning away from each other to quickly wipe their eyes. "So – all set to go to Diagon Alley this afternoon?" Liz asked, as they began to walk back to Huntington Cottage. "We can go there after lunch – the boys will be there, too – James and Sirius, at least."

Lily gave Liz a little nudge. "So – I'm essentially going to be third wheel to you and Black?" she asked with a grin. Liz rolled her eyes. "Well – Marlene will be there too, and in that case, counting you and James, she's going to be the fifth wheel!" There was a wicked grin on Liz's face.

"Me and James? Ha – that's ridiculous!" Lily responded, laughing. "C'mon – he even stopped asking me out. Turns out, he's actually a nice person… Who knew?" she added, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well – I did," said Liz, smirking. "I told you that for so many years – I'm glad you saw sense at last."

"Shut up – don't take empty credit," said Lily, mock-punching Liz on the arm. "You should've seen him that night, though – I don't think I'd have lasted that long if it hadn't been for him! Seriously, the way he kept encouraging me, imploring me not to give up… And that too, after he had a chance to escape! He came back for us."

"Well – that's James for you!" Liz replied stoutly. "He's chivalrous – and honourable. He will never leave anyone behind… Especially after seeing the danger we all were in."

"I guess I always knew that he was a good person – very, very deep down," Lily said dryly, and Liz laughed. "Well – I'm glad the two of you are friends now, at any rate," she said, and Lily returned her smile. They'd arrived at Liz's house by then, and Minty the house-elf quickly ushered them to the dining table and began to serve them lunch.

"Hang on," said Lily, pausing halfway through her egg-and-tomato sandwich. "Isn't that today's Prophet? I didn't get a chance to read it this morning…" She grabbed the newspaper and read the headline, "'Magical Researcher Escapes Second Attempt on her Life…' Oh dear!" She began to read:

London, Aug 22: The current residence of Madam Pamela Burke from the Magical Research and Development Office, in West London, was attacked last night. According to eyewitness accounts, the house in Fulham, on the banks of the Thames, was completely blown apart. Madam Burke was apparently at home at the time; however, with extraordinary skill and courage, she managed to overpower her three attackers and escape successfully. The attackers in question managed to flee before Aurors and Hit Wizards arrived at the scene, and are currently absconding.

Reporters spoke to Madam Burke at a secret location late last night, and the researcher was in fine spirits. "This isn't the first time I've been attacked for the work I do. But I won't stop – that isn't how it goes with research. I will stop only after I find a solution," she declared. Rumours are rife about the kind of work carried out by Madam Burke, but one can only guess its significance if she has already been attacked twice for it.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic was quick to blame the Death Eaters for the attack. "This terrible act will not go unpunished. We will bring the perpetrators to justice soon," said Mr Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement, the parent department of the Magical Research and Development Office. Mr Crouch is working closely with the Auror Office regarding the investigation into this attack.

Below the bulletin was a picture of a witch with short, pixie-cut hair and oval-shaped glasses. She wore earrings in the shape of the crescent moon, and her thin lips, prominent chin and hooked nose gave off an overall aura of severity and hostility. "This is horrible – did you read this?" Lily asked Liz, who nodded. "Yep – she must be working on something top-secret, if You-Know-Who wants her so badly," she said, and Lily shivered. Voldemort putting a price on your head didn't seem like a very nice prospect.

"You done? We have to be at Diagon Alley in ten minutes," said Liz, and Lily nodded. "I'm almost done – let me eat in peace!"

"If I do that, we'll be here all afternoon," said Liz, her eyes twinkling wickedly. Lily chucked a little piece of bread in her direction, and Liz dodged it, grinning. "Throwing food? Tut, tut – this is what your parents taught you, Lily Evans?"

"One more comment – and I'll show you what Muhammad Ali taught me," Lily shot back, and Liz looked at her in confusion. Sighing, Lily said, "Never mind – here, I'm finished. Just give me a minute to tidy up."

A few minutes later, Liz was handing her a pinch of Floo Powder. "Just say 'Leaky Cauldron'," she said, "That's where we're meeting the boys and Marlene." Lily nodded, and Liz stepped into the fireplace. "Leaky Cauldron!" she shouted, throwing the Floo Powder in the fireplace. Emerald-green flames erupted around her immediately, and she spun rapidly out of sight. Lily hoisted the little rucksack on her shoulder, stepped into the fireplace herself and imitated Liz; she, too, began to spin uncontrollably fast, travelling through a whirl of fireplaces before –

She stopped spinning, and nearly fell over. Luckily, someone was there to catch her, and she looked up to see who it was – right into the hazel eyes of James Potter. "All right, Evans?" he asked with his trademark lopsided smile, his voice warm. She smiled back at him and said, "I thought we were using first names, James." He laughed and pulled her into a quick hug. "How have you been? Feels like eons since we last met!" he said, his eyes twinkling.

"We met only a few weeks ago, and we've been writing to each other since," Lily responded, grinning wryly.

"Evans!" came a voice, and someone else pulled her into a quick hug. "Ouch – get off me – Black!" she exclaimed, extricating herself from the tall, well-built frame of Sirius Black, who grinned. "Hey – c'mon, that's partiality – you hug him and not me –"

"Well – I'm friends with James now," she pointed out, smirking. Black clutched his chest in mock-hurt and said, "Ouch, that hurts! Anyway – James and I, we're a package… So, any friend of one is automatically a friend of the other!"

"Oh, in that case, I was better off not being friends with the two of you after all," Lily said mischievously, and Liz gave a shout of laughter. Lily stole a sideways glance at James, and to her surprise, his face showed dismay. "Hey – watch it, Padfoot," he began, and she quickly held up her hands. "I'm joking, James," she said soothingly, and his whole body relaxed. Really, was he so afraid that she was going to break her friendship or something – over trifles? She rolled her eyes, but before she could say a word, someone else came spinning out of the fireplace.

"Hi, Marlene," greeted Liz, before turning back to them. "Right, Mar's here – so, shall we?"

"Yup – let's go," said Black energetically, and the five of them set off towards the back door of the Leaky Cauldron, which was half-full of people finishing the last of their lunch. They entered the courtyard behind the pub, and Black pulled out his wand. He tapped the correct brick, and the wall simply transformed into an archway, paving their entrance into the Wizarding shopping area.

"Right," began Liz, "I need a couple of sets of robes –"

"To add to the ten you already possess," Black interrupted, and Liz elbowed him. "Butt out, Blackie – I can own as many as I want!" she said, and he smirked. "At that rate, you can open your own shop next to Madam Malkin's," he returned, and everyone laughed.

"C'mon – lay off her, Sirius," said Marlene, "We girls can buy as many robes as we want."

"All right, all right," said Black, making a gesture of surrender. "Fine – then Hunt's going to Madam Malkin's, what do the rest of you need?"

"Er – I need to go to Gringotts first, I want to exchange Muggle money for Galleons," said Lily. "My parents were so pleased with my OWL results that they gave me fifty pounds as a present –"

"Great, dinner is on Evans," Black interrupted, and the others laughed. "What I was saying," continued Lily, narrowing her eyes at Black slightly, "Is that I have to buy the sixth-year books and refill my Potions kit – plus, I too need new robes."

"Didn't you say you were going to buy dress robes?" Liz asked her, and Lily nodded. "That's right – I've never owned a set of those before, and I'm going to use my reward money on those."

"There goes our dinner," said Black with a mock-sigh, and James elbowed him. "All you think about is food," he said, and Black grinned. "Well, Pete isn't here, so someone has to take his place," he said nonchalantly.

"Right – well, all I need are the books and the Potions kit," said Marlene, and James echoed her. "OK – then, here's what we can do," said Black, "We can split up – Evans and Hunt can go and buy their robes, while James, myself and Marlene will take care of everyone's books and Potions kits before joining you at Madam Malkin's, 'coz trust me – you're going to take that long."

"Too right we are," said Liz, grinning at Lily. "She needs dress robes – trust me, you don't want to buy those in a hurry."

"You know that's right," said Marlene, exchanging an overhead clap with Liz. "Oh, I forgot!" she exclaimed, "I need to withdraw money, too!"

"We all do," said James, and Liz nodded. "I thought that was obvious, the first stop is always Gringotts."

"Oh – right," said Marlene, grinning in relief. "Well – c'mon, then!"

The five of them walked towards the Wizarding bank, and James fell in stride with Lily. "Where are Remus and Peter?" she asked, and he shook his head. "They're busy today. Peter and his Mum are roaming around in Manchester – and Remus's Mum is ill, so he's at home, taking care of her."

"Er – I know about Remus's –"

"No, this time his Mum's actually ill," said James, grimacing. "I guess if you say it for long enough, it can happen, can't it?"

"Hey – c'mon," she said, "That's a little harsh – Remus doesn't have a bucket load of excuses for where he goes –"

"I know that! I just told him that he shouldn't make that particular excuse… It's bad luck."

"Ooh, didn't peg you to be the superstitious kind, James," said Lily mischievously as they stepped into Gringotts. "I'm not," said James defensively, "Besides, it's just the 'blue' or something – he said it passes in a couple of days."

"D'you mean the 'flu'?" Lily asked, smiling. James snapped his fingers. "I knew it – I knew I was messing it up –"

"OI, James! I'm not going to go into your vault – so you better get your backside over here!" Liz called, and James grinned. "Be right back – wait here with Sirius, OK?" he said, and she nodded and waved to him, Liz and Marlene as the goblin in charge began to lead them away from the marble hallway.

"So – d'you want to get your money exchanged?" Black asked, and she nodded. "I'll be just a minute," she said and began to walk to the counter, but he followed her. "No problem," he said, "I'll just come with…"

It took less than two minutes for the exchange to take place, and Lily thanked the goblin before taking a little purse full of Galleons and sitting down in the waiting area with Black. "So – how is it, living with James? Did his parents try chucking you out when they understood what a prat you actually are?" she asked him, a mischievous glint in her eye. He grinned back at her. "They love me," he said, "Once you get to know me – I'll grow on you. I'm just – irresistible."

"And also, a tad big-headed," deadpanned Lily, and his grin grew wider. "Eh, well – what're you going to do?" he asked dismissively, and she rolled her eyes. "Anyway – James told me about the whole – er, fighting with your parents and flying away thing," she said, her tone serious and gentle at the same time. "Are you OK? That would've been rough."

He waved his hand contemptuously. "They're gits, the pair of them," he said, and Lily presumed that he was referring to his parents. "They haven't got a decent bone within their bodies… Honestly, I'm better off without them. And the Potters – they took me in – just like that, no questions asked. Mrs Potter – bless her, she's so darned sweet. She really treats me like James's brother…"

"Yes – she is a sweet lady," Lily agreed delicately. Black gave her a sideways glance, his eyes dancing playfully. "Ahh – bonding with the future mother-in-law, how nice!" he said, and Lily coloured at once. "What?" she burst out, "Are you crazy?"

"No – but you are… Crazy about James, aren't you?" he retorted wickedly, and she gave him a little smack on his arm. "Watch it, Black – or I'll hex you," she said warningly, and he laughed. "Just wait and see – you and James are meant to be – wait, that rhymed!"

"Congratulations," Lily responded sarcastically. "We can expect an award from the Ministry any day now!"

"What? What award?" came a voice, as Liz and the others stood in front of them. "Who's getting an award?" asked Marlene again.

"No one," said Lily and Black at the same time, and Lily quickly sprang to her feet, a little flustered. "Shall we?" she asked Liz pointedly, and her best friend nodded. "Right – Lily has our Potions kits in her bag – so, take those and get them filled, OK? We'll reimburse you later," she addressed James, who nodded. "We'll get all our books, and meet up with you at Madam Malkin's," he replied, "And once our shopping is done, we can go to Florean Fortescue's for ice creams."

"Mmm – I like that plan," said Marlene, and Sirius nodded enthusiastically. "I'll have Evans's ice cream – she's off sugar, aren't you, Evans?" he asked, grinning at Lily. She snorted and said, "I can have some – on occasion. Besides – the one who told me to stop eating sweets turned out to be a hypocrite…" James gave her a guilty sort of look, and she gave him a cheeky smile before handing him her bag. "Thanks," she said, and he nodded and smiled back at her.

"Right, well – see you two in about thirty minutes," said Marlene, and with a wave towards them, she exited the bank, with the boys following her. "Well – c'mon, let's go and get our robes," said Liz, and the pair of them began to walk in the general direction of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

It didn't take them too long to buy their school robes; there wasn't much of a crowd at Madam Malkin's. Lily and Liz asked to see the dress robes, and were led to another little room just off the main shop. Madam Malkin's assistant began to show them several sets of robes, and Lily noted that they were like a cross between her school robes and formal Muggle dresses. They all looked very pretty, and Lily wasn't sure which colour she wanted, for there was simply too much variety; she asked for blue robes, and was promptly shown periwinkle-blue, midnight-blue, azure, Teutonic-blue, turquoise-blue, sapphire-blue, and even cobalt-blue, the same colour as Marlene's eyes.

"This is too much," she whispered to Liz, "I have no clue – no clue – as to which of these shades I like the most!"

"Well – let's see," said Liz thoughtfully, "When in doubt, try them on. Just – pull them over your t-shirt and jeans, I'm sure the lady won't object." Lily nodded and obeyed, deciding to start with the midnight-blue robes. "Hmm, no – they're too dark, they don't go with your hair," said Liz, tilting her head from one side to the other. "Try another one…"

Half an hour later, Liz said thoughtfully, "You know, I don't think blue is your colour. Perhaps we should go with another one – like red or green, maybe?"

"You could've led with that!" said Lily irritably. She quickly removed the Teutonic-blue robes she'd tried on and carried them back to the assistant, who was watching them patiently. "Sorry – not these either," she said apologetically. "Could we see the green ones, please?"

"Of course," said the witch, and with a wave of her wand, replaced all the blue robes in their boxes, and Summoned a new set of boxes towards them. "Here," she said, opening each box, "I have several shades here, too – emerald-green, shamrock-green, moss-green, olive-green, chartreuse-green –"

"Great, thank you," Lily interrupted with a resigned smile. She decided to try on the moss-green robes first; putting them on, she asked Liz, "So? What d'you think?"

"Hmm – a little darker, I think," said Liz, surveying the robes critically. Turning to the assistant, she asked, "D'you have any bottle-green robes, ma'am?"

"Yes – here," said the witch, and gestured to one of the open boxes. Liz immediately gestured to Lily and said, "These are the ones you should buy – I guarantee it, these will look great!"

"Er – OK," said Lily, unsure. She decided to obey her best friend, anyway, and tried on the bottle-green robes. "How do I look?" she asked nervously, and was relieved to see Liz grinning from ear-to-ear. "You look stunning!" she exclaimed. "I told you – these are the robes for you! Take a look yourself!"

Lily turned to the full-length mirror to her left and let out the breath she'd been holding. Liz was right, the robes suited her like none other… They were a different shade than her emerald-green eyes, and contrasted perfectly with her dark-red hair. In fact, she was unable to believe that it was her own reflection in the mirror; she looked so beautiful!

"See – I told you," said Liz softly, standing next to her and smiling. "These are the ones for you. Just as well you're buying them now… You'll need them these Christmas holidays!"

"And why is that?" asked Lily curiously.

"Because – it's my parents' twentieth anniversary, and we're hosting a party!" said Liz enthusiastically. "I'll give you the details later, though."

"That's great!" Lily exclaimed, just as several familiar faces entered the tiny room.

"Wow, those are really pretty, Lily," Marlene gushed admiringly. "I wish I look that good in my dress robes!"

"I agree," said Black, smiling at her, "They suit you nicely!"

"You look – er, just – wow, Lily," said James, beaming at her, and she returned his grin and felt a blush spreading across her cheeks. Her heart began to beat a little faster, and she quickly turned away from him. Why was this happening? That idiot Black, she thought firmly. He teased me with James this morning, and now I'm blushing in front of him. Coward, she mentally chastised herself before taking the robes off.

"Told you so," said Liz smugly once again, as Lily paid for the robes. "Well, I'm glad I have you – your fashion sense is better than mine; I liked the sapphire blue ones, but good thing you talked me out of those, 'coz these are way better!"

They walked out of the shop, laden with merchandise, and began to make their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour. "Blimey, this stuff is heavy," said James, as he carried three boxes of Potions ingredients. Black snorted and said, "Quit complaining, Prongs – I'm carrying so many books that I've lost count, and they're much heavier than your stupid boxes!"

"Well – we never asked you to be the beast of burden," said Marlene, smirking. "You wanted to prove you were stronger than James here, and this is the way to do that!"

"Idiotic move, Blackie," said Liz in a would-be sympathetic voice, but the playful twinkle in her eyes gave her away. Lily laughed as Black grimaced and said, "The deal was that if I carry these books to Fortescue's, James pays for my ice cream – today and the next three times we come to Diagon Alley."

"Small price to pay for not lifting the books, then," said Lily, smirking too. Black stuck his tongue out at her and said, "Oh, stuff it, you."

Soon enough, they reached the ice cream parlour, and ordered the sundaes of their choice. Lily happily licked her way through a double strawberry sundae as they settled up for the books and Potions ingredients. "I guess we're all going some classes in common," said James, "Transfiguration, Defence, Potions, Charms and Herbology…"

"Yeah, well – some of us want to go into Auror training, and those are the subjects they want," said Marlene.

"Blimey, Evans – your Arithmancy textbooks weigh a ton!" Black exclaimed, handing a copy each to Lily and Liz. "Remind me why you're taking those subjects again?"

"Because – they could be useful, and we like them," said Liz. "I wasn't sure about Arithmancy, but I did get an 'E', so I'm going to give the NEWT a try. Whew – I'm glad the Runes have the same textbook throughout the curriculum, I don't think I can lift another heavy book!"

"Drop the subject, then," said Black, and Liz snorted in a most unladylike manner. "Nah, I got an 'O' in it – why let that go to waste?"

They whiled the afternoon away, chatting about the upcoming school year and whether their academic lives would be any easier, now that they were dropping several subjects. Lily had another double strawberry sundae, and stuck her tongue out at James after he half-heartedly suggested that she'd be better off avoiding it; she reminded him that she'd be going for a run on the beach the next morning, and he seemed OK with that.

"Well, it's nearly five-thirty… Shall we get going?" Marlene said after a while, glancing at her watch. "Yeah – my parents would be home by now," said Liz, standing up. The others imitated her, and James said, "Oh, by the way, did you read about that Ministry Researcher? Pamela something? Odd, isn't it?"

"Yup," said Lily thoughtfully, "She must be working on something really –"

But the rest of her words were drowned out by a huge explosion. Lily dropped the bag she was holding, just as Florean Fortescue came running of his shop. "What was that?" he asked them worriedly, and James shouted, "Hang on, you lot – I'll check it out! C'mon, Padfoot!"

The boys shot off in the direction of the noise of the explosion and people screaming; Lily noted a column of smoke rising above a building. "That building's on fire!" she exclaimed, and whipped out her wand. Liz and Marlene imitated her, and Liz addressed Florean, "Mr Fortescue, could you please notify the Ministry? We'll just check out what's going on – please watch our bags!"

"I'm on it – I'll come and help in a minute, just stay out of trouble!" Florean shouted, and ran off, presumably towards the Leaky Cauldron. Lily and the others stepped out onto the street just as James and Black came running back to them. "The Apothecary – it's on fire!" Black exclaimed urgently. "And there're people trapped inside!"

"Oh no! What now?" Marlene asked, her eyes wide.

"We help," said James tersely. "From what we saw, the attackers have a makeshift shield of several dustbins piled on top of each other – people are mostly running away, but when we ran back to get you, I saw two blokes trying to help –"

"Fortescue's calling the Ministry – c'mon, let's go!" Liz exclaimed, and they all began to run back towards the Apothecary. They stopped about a hundred yards away, and scouted their surroundings; the people inside the Apothecary were flocking near the windows, screaming for help. Lily wondered why they weren't simply blasting their way out, before realizing that the attackers had probably Summoned their victims' wands. Shaking her head, she asked, "OK – what's the plan?"

"I'm going to help the people trapped in there," said Black at once. "You distract them, James!"

"I'll come with you, Blackie," said Liz, and there passed a grim look of understanding between her and Black. "All right – there's a window on the side there, out of view of the attackers," said Black, pointing. "Maybe we can use that to help those people."

"Good plan," agreed Liz. "We'll go as soon as you three somehow distract those goons."

Lily surveyed the jets of light, the smoke coming out of the building, the panicked crowd of shoppers running helter-skelter, and the wall of five dustbins shielding the perpetrators of the mayhem from view. She glanced at her companions and asked fretfully, "Well – we're going to have to come up with something quickly – who knows how long the Ministry will take to get here."

"Don't worry, Lily," said James reassuringly. "I have a plan."

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